The Lisa Wengler Center For The Arts Presents SHADES OF DJANGO With The Stephane Wrembel Quartet And More

Guitarist/composer/teacher and musical director STEPHANE WREMBEL will premiere his specialty program "Shades of Django" in the Smothers Theatre at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 7 p.m.

Tickets, starting at $30 for adults and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or visiting arts.pepperdine.edu/tickets/

Shades of Django is a musical celebration and journey paying tribute to the legendary musician, Django Reinhardt, curated and directed by the French-born, now Maplewood, N.J. resident. From swing to bebop, impressionism to New Orleans Jazz, Wrembel and his world-class band will explore the many elements and legacy of Reinhardt, long considered one of the most influential composers and guitarists of the 20th century.

Wrembel specializes in the style of Reinhardt, learning his craft by spending years traveling the French countryside along fellow disciples of Reinhardt before graduating from Berklee College of Music; he has toured the world, while releasing 16 albums under his name and the nom de plume, The Django Experiment. His original compositions have been featured in Midnight in Paris ("Bistro Fada"), Vicki Cristina Barcelona ("Big Brother"), and Rifkin's Festival (original score). In 2019, Wrembel released the highly regarded Django L'Impressionniste, featuring 17 of Reinhardt's preludes for solo guitar, followed by a book of his transcriptions in 2021. Since 2003, Wrembel has produced the Django a Gogo Festival, bringing together some of the finest musicians in the world to celebrate the Sinti guitar style to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Town Hall. For more information visit stephanewrembel.com

For this presentation of Shades of Django, Wrembel (guitar/musical director) will be bringing his long-time NYC-based band which includes: Josh Kaye (guitar/Oud), Ari Folman-Cohen (bass guitar), and Nick Anderson (drums). Special guests for the show in Smothers Theatre include: NYC-based Sarah King (vocals) and the Los Angeles-based duo, Tommy Davy (guitar) and Luanne Homzy (violin).

Wrembel comments, "Upon the encouragement of Jason Olaine, V.P. of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center, I built Shades of Django first for two shows at JALC's Rose Theater for November of 2022. Then we decided to bring it to Smothers Theatre first. The show will explore the music of Django Reinhardt in a chronological way. From his classical influences to the musette (the traditional music form that was born in the early 1920s), from jazz to midnight in Paris, all the ingredients will be gathered for a cultural evening and an explosive musical unique event."

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 1,000 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

The Center for the Arts is located on the Pepperdine University campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. Parking is available during performances next to Smothers Theatre for a fee and in the Theme Tower lot with shuttle service at no charge. All programs and artists are subject to change.

For more information about this performance and other Center for the Arts performances and exhibitions, visit: arts.pepperdine.edu. For information about current health and safety protocols at the Center for the Arts, visit: arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/.